Envelope-closure tool



I. STIRIS'S. {NVE'LoPE cLosuRE TooL. APPLICATION FILED AUG.26, 192i.

.A 1342927920 l PatentedSep-t.A 19, 1922.-

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

IIIIII www zi J. STIRISS.

` ENvELoPE cLosuRE TooL.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.26| 1921.

Patented Sept. 19, 1922.

2 s'HEVETs-SHEE'T 2.

insana JACOB STIRISS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ENVELOPE-CLOSURE TOOL.

Application filed August 2. 1921.

To all whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, JACOB STInlss, a resident of the city, county7 and State of New York, and a citizen of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Envelope-Closure Tools, of which the following is a specification.

lThis invention relates to clasp manipulating tools and ldevices adapted to render the clasp operable without the use of the fingers of the person engaged in opening, filling and closing envelopes, and its object is to afford means for raising the prongs of a clasp, that are usually flattened against the back of theenvelope, and elevating them der the prongs of a clasp to force them upward, and a plungery with a collapsible wedge on its lower end is then employed to again deilectthe prongs outward from each other and press them down on the flap.

Another obiect of the tool is to relieve the operator in iilling and closing clasp envelopes. As the sharp ends and edges of the Clasp must be bent upward for insertion in the perforation or slot of the envelope flap and again bent down and flattened out after the contents have been deposited within said envelope. rFhis operation is tedious and dangerous and the fingers of the operator are repeatedly cut and made sore.

Vhile the tool is adapted to be a portable device its operating parts may be actuatet by constantly running machinery while the envelopes to be closed are fed therein by the operator.

These and other objects and'details of the invention are more fully described in the following speciflcation, set forth in the appended claims and 'illustrated inthe accoin-y panying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the tool.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation.

Fig. 4 is a front eleva-tion of a modified form of tool.

serial No. 495,610.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view through the plunger when depressed.

Fig. 6 is a front view of the device as mechanically operated.

Fig. 7 is a similar view but from the opposite side of the machine.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the same.

'llo overcome the difficulties and dangers in manipulating clasps for envelopes the present invention is designed to raise the ilattened prongs of the clasp to a vertical position and after the flap has been properly located the tool is provided with means to again depress and Hatten the prongs.

The tool comprises jaws 5 and blades @l pivoted by means of rivets 7 to the base plate 8 and are all free to swing inward and outward. The pivotal ends or hubs of the jaws are circular and have one or'more indents to receive co-operating teeth 10 on the circular pivotal ends or hubs of handles l1 that are secured by rivets 12., y

The jaws andthe handles more freely on the pivots Tand 12 and as the handles are closed it is 4obvious that the jaws'will do likewise, but they are bothy forced open by the spring 12 connected'withv the handles.

Beneath the aws andpivoted on the same rivets? are theblades 6 having edges 13 and inclined opposite faces 15 and on the rear sides of the blades are perforated lugs 16 through which pass freely the headed rods 17 that extend outward from the jaws to which they are riveted or otherwise secured.

Coil l' sprinos 18 encircle the rods V1'? and are confined between the heads 19 and the ings 15v and form a resilient connection between the jaws and the blades `and prevent damage being done by the force'exerted on the handles 11.

ln operating the device the blades are located on each side of a clasp and at the ends ofthe prongs thereof, the pressureof the tool onthe paper willcause'the edges of the blades to locatebeneath the ends of the prongs,and enclosing the handle members 11 the edges of the blades will Gradually raise the prongs which are immediately seized by the jaws 5 and given a vertical trend and brought together as far as may be necessary.

The prongs are now in position to be passed through the slot of the iiap of the envelope and after lthis is done and the prongs still elevated, the closure tool is so located that the open prongs will be directly below a plunger carried by an overhanging bracket 21 secured to v the top or base plate 8 and shown in Fig. 1

in dotted lines only. This plunger 2O has a head 21 on its upper end and the spring 22 to retain it in a normally elevated position, but when depressed the plunger carries downward the fiattener which consists ot the toggle levers 23 united by the pintle 24 toy form a wedge to enter the space between the prongs and expand them and on reaching the envelope on a base or table `to collapse, forming a straight structure to iiatten the prongs' parallel with said envelope.

The toggles 23 are hinged at their upper ends to a head or plate 25 at the lower end of the plunger and are carriedy up and down by it.

As shown in Fig. 5 the plunger 2O is hollow and the head 214 secured thereon. lNithin the plunger plays a vertical rod` 26 that passes through plate 25 and is secured to the pintle 24 at its lower end while the upper end is forced downward by a spring 27 so as to keep the toggles distended and wedgeshaped to locate between the prongs of the clasp.

It will thus be seen that a clasp may be entirely manipulated and the envelope closed and secured b this simple device and the operator is entirely relieved of the use of his fingers to open'or close the prongs or tongues of the clasp, which lmay at thesame time be ymore eii'ectually closed and flattened.

While the above described device is portable and tobe operated by hand only, the

- device may be operatedI mechanically fas shown in Figs. 6 and 7 where a base 30 is appropriately mounted on supports and carries an upright frame 31 and extension 32.

In the ylatter is journalled the driven shaftv 33 on which is secured an eccentric 34 having the strap '35 land pitman 36, and to the latter is pinned the upper endet a plunger 37 that plays through the bracket 38 ot frame 31'and is hollow to receive the upper end of a rod 39 that is resiliently .connected and pressed downward by the spring 40.

The rod 39 carries at its lower end the pintle` 41 of the spreading toggle joints 42 whose upper iendsarev carried by a plate 43 at the lower vend of plunger 37. As the eccentric 34 rotates thev plunger and forces thetoggles 42A against the base 30, or the upwardly eX- tending prongs of a clasp that may be on the base, causing the toggles .to collapse and flatten out with the prongs. -v

-' On the lower end ot the plunger 37 is a loose sleeve 44 with a slot 45 through which extends the pin 46 from the plunger to allow a certain amount ot' play. This sleeve carries the jaws 47 and the blades 48 and as the latter reach the' base 30, the sleeve 44 is forced up the plunger against the tension ot-spring 49. As theplunger moves down tensions 52 are torcedoutward and the jaws themselves brought together and, being resiliently connected with the blades 48 by the rods 53 and springs 54, the blades are also closed.

The latter actis the first operation in the manipulation oi' the clasp and it is turnished the operator in a 'flattened condition on the envelope it is first presented to the blades which with the jaws raise the prongs to a vertical position. The iiap is then closed by the operator and the prongs are passed through the appropriate perforations in the flap and remain in their vertical position but are finally located beneath the spreader and flattener `tor the last operation which secures the 'flap to the'envelope.

During the first operation the flap being `open its outer edge is located against the stops 55 at the rear ot thev machine, leaving the clasp in position between the blades 48 .to be-operated on. l/Vhen the flap is closed the envelope is again placed" on the base 30 so that its upper edge will rest .on these stops 55 and the vertical prongs of the clasp will vbe ylocated directly beneath the collapsible toggles 42 tor depressing and. flattening.

modications ot thedevice may be resorted to without departing from the essential features above described."

What I claim as new is:

1. In an envelope clasp tool, the combination ot a base plate blades independently pivoted to said base plate, handles separately pivoted to said base plate, and resilient means connecting the handles and the Yblades to close the latter.

2. In an envelope clasp tool, the combination of a base plata/blades independently pivoted tothe said plate, handles independently pivoted to the base plate, and resilient meansoperated by the handles and connected with the blades to close the-latter.

3. In an envelope clasptool, the combination of pivoted blades, handles pivoted independent ot the blades, and pivoted jawsadapted to be operated by the handles and resiliently connected with the blades.

4. In an envelope clasp tool, the. combination of pivoted blades, handles-.pivoted independently ot the blades, jaws pivoted adjacent the handles and adapted to be operated by the same, and resilient means carried by the jaws and connected with the blades to operate them.

5. In an envelope clasp tool, the combination of pivoted blades, a basecarrying the same, handles pivoted to the base, jaws geared at their pivots to the handles, and springs connecting the blades and the jaws and adapted to yieldingly close the blades when the jaws are operated by the handles.

6. In an envelope clasp tool, the combination of a base plate, jaws pivoted thereto, handles pivoted to the plate, gearing connecting the jaws and the handles, blades pivoted to the base plate and having perforated lugs, headed rods carried by the jaws and passing through the perforated lugs, and. springs carried by the rods and interposed between their heads and the jaws.

7 In an envelope clasp tool, the combina tion of a base carrying pivoted handles, jaws pivoted to the base and geared with the handles, blades pivoted to the base and resiliently connected with the jaws, a bracket secured to the base, a plunger playing in the bracket, and a collapsible wedge at the lower end of the plunger.

8. In an envelope clasp toolthe combinat-ion of a base carrying pivoted handles, jaws and blades, gearing connecting the jaws and handles resilient means connecting the jaws and the blades, a bracket extending from the base, a plunger playing in the bracket, a retractile spring for the plunger, and toggles pivoted to the lower end of the plunger and to each other.

9. In an envelope clasp` tool, the combination of pivoted jaws, blades pivoted adj acent the jaws, resilient connections adapted to cause the jaws and blades to act together, means for causing the jaws to swing on their pivots, and a collapsible wedge adapted to move vertically.

10. In an envelope clasp tool, the combination of pivote-d jaws, adjacently pivoted blades, springs interposed between the jaws and the blades to cause them to move to` gether, means for closing the jaws and the blades, a plunger adapted to play adjacent the jaws and the blades, and a collapsing wedge at the lower end of the plunger.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aix my signature.

JACOB STIRISS.

A ,444 A A 

